Mbappe's Grip Suffocates Real Madrid's Attack — Can the Next Gen Break the Spell?
11 November 2025
Mbappe's Dominance Overshadows Madrid's Attack
Real Madrid is grappling with an overreliance on French star Kylian Mbappe in attack, while young forwards Gonzalo Garcia and Endrick sit on the bench with little real chance to play. This was evident as the team endured two goalless days in the attack, with neither of them on the pitch, highlighting a clear problem in diversifying the squad's attacking options.
According to AS, 52.9% of Madrid's goals this season have come from Mbappe alone, who has 18 goals from 34. This underscores the near-total dependence on the French star.
Without Mbappe, the Madrid attack stalls; the team has not scored in back-to-back matches for the first time since May 2023, against Liverpool in the Champions League and against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, with even advanced stats failing to save the attack, recording 0.45 expected goals at Anfield and 0.8 at Vallecano.
Regarding substitutes, AS noted that neither Gonzalo Garcia nor Endrick had a real chance against Rayo Vallecano; neither even got a warm-up, with Rodrygo as the natural alternative to Brahim Diaz.
This pattern echoes a recurring theme this season, apart from Gonzalo's World Cup form in the United States, where he started and led the tournament in scoring, earning a renewal and a rise thanks to the trust shown by Zabi, though his importance waned as the season progressed.
According to AS, his total minutes on the season are 108 minutes, about 7.5% of the total, counting his decisive assist in Almaty and his start against Espanyol, while his true peak remained with the Under-21 national team, where he played and scored two goals, showing his potential.
As for Endrick, he has logged only 11 minutes in 11 call-ups, all coming against Valencia, his first appearance alongside Alonso, and his first since injury on May 18, returning after 167 days, but he did not feature at Anfield or Vallecano.
Looking ahead, before the last two games, it seemed that loaning Endrick might be the best option, given the late-season choices, with several options on the table, notably Lyon under Fonseca.
The paper highlights a pattern: Madrid is crossing a lot but scoring little, with crosses outnumbering finishing opportunities and no real aerial threat from a dedicated center forward.
Against Vallecano, 21 crosses were delivered (8 from set pieces), and the only forward to test with a header was Bellingham once; Militao and Asensio had two and one headers respectively, with his clearest chance coming there.
Among 217 crosses, only two (0.9%) found the back of the net via headers, by Arda Guler and Camavinga. The report also notes that last season Joselu was a major aerial threat, scoring eight headers from 99 crosses, highlighting Madrid’s need for a reliable aerial option.
The AS analysis confirms that without Mbappe, there is currently no tangible goal production to rely on, and the dependence on the French forward is greater than in the previous season.
Behind Mbappe's 18 goals, Vinicius has five, and Guler and Bellingham each have three, underscoring a clear lack of attacking variety and a need for others to step up.
Knee-deep heading or not, the pattern is clear
In the World Club context and in domestic play, Madrid must find a balance between Mbappe’s brilliance and the emergence of others to avoid turning every match into a Mbappe showcase.
Punchlines coming later, because even snipers miss sometimes when the target is a moving ball. Stay tuned—Madrid’s next patch might finally bring a real “team” of attackers to the field.
